Hillsborough County Florida has one of the highest DUI arrests in the country. Between checkpoints, officers stopping for traffic violations, and people getting into crashes; DUI arrests are commonplace. When an officer conducts a DUI arrest, they are required to go through certain procedures. One of the things officers want someone who they believe is impaired to do, is perform Field Sobriety Exercises.
Standard Field Sobriety Exercises are developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These exercises include the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, Walk and Turn, and the One Leg Stand. According to NHTSA these exercises are divided attention skills which are used to mimic multitasking and driving. Officers sometimes will vary from these exercises with additional exercises such as the Finger to Nose, Rhomberg Alphabet, and Counting Backwards from 100.
Law Enforcement administers these exercises to see if someone is impaired while driving. These exercises are used to determine if someone is impaired, and if there is enough probable cause to arrest someone for driving under the influence.
At Taracks & Associates we are Tampa Bay area attorneys who are familiar with the process for a DUI. If you or someone you know has been arrested for DUI, we can set up a free consultation and talk about the process and possible defenses. Call us at 813.281.2897 regarding a consultation.